Lancair now plans to deliver the first Columbia 300 four-seater in February 1999 and hopes to have completed the handover of the 200th aircraft by early in 2001. The February delivery date is almost five months behind the company's original schedule, which slipped after design changes were made to improve the aircraft's spin resistance. The changes chiefly involved the addition of fences on the wing leading edge, says sales and marketing director Mike Schrader.
The Columbia 300 received US Federal Aviation Administration certification in September after more than 400h of flight testing. The third aircraft is "on the line right now", says Schrader, who adds that work is just beginning on the fourth aircraft, which will be the first to be handed over to a customer. Meanwhile, Lancair has taken orders for more than 260 Columbia 300s, some of which were placed at AOPA EXPO '98.
The company plans to deliver 21 aircraft from its new site at Bend, Oregon, in 1999. The rapid production ramp up will see 170 more delivered in 2000, says Lancair.
Source: Flight International
